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It can come on suddenly and without warning. A painful headache that comes out of nowhere. Numbness in the face. Weakness down one side of the body. Slurred speech, loss of balance, or sudden change in vision. And a frightening feeling of helplessness and not understanding what’s happening.

What happens to the body when a stroke hits?

A stroke, or cerebrovascular accident (CVA), results when blood is suddenly unable to reach the brain. It can be caused by a blood clot or other blockage in an artery that keeps blood from reaching the brain, or a burst blood vessel that causes a hemorrhagic stroke. When the brain is suddenly starved of that vital blood full of oxygen and nutrients, brain cells become damaged and can die after approximately four minutes. And if that blood supply isn’t restored soon, permanent brain damage is likely. If the victim is lucky enough to survive, they can still be left temporarily or permanently disabled — even paralyzed for life.

Your clients may be more at risk than they think

It’s easy to think it’ll never happen to us, and that strokes only happen to people that lead unhealthy lifestyles or have heart problems. Not true! The fact is, many factors can lead to strokes, even in seemingly healthy people, including age, family and personal medical history, conditions such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and lifestyle choices like smoking or lack of exercise. The odds of suffering a stroke are pretty sobering:

Roughly 795,000 Americans have a stroke each year, and 130,000 die from it

Strokes are the fourth most frequent cause of death in the United States

Half of those who survive a stroke will still have some disability six months later

There are approximately seven million stroke survivors in the United States today, and many have permanent disability

(Source: WebMD Stroke Health Center)

What would the future look like after a paralyzing stroke?

For many families, the prospect of losing even a month or two of income isn't an option. And yet, so many people either forget or don’t consider it important to insure their most important asset: the ability to earn a living.

For those who would be unable to cover their costs during the disability insurance elimination period before benefits kick in, critical illness insurance can fill the gap. With this coverage, benefits are paid right away and can be used to help pay the bills or for any other expenses.

When you consider the statistics on strokes, the combination of individual disability and critical illness makes a lot of sense. Help your clients protect their most important assets from the financial fallout of a debilitating stroke. Offer them premier paycheck protection with the combination of individual DI and critical illness coverage.

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About the Author

Dan Steenerson is the President and CEO of Disability Insurance Services. He passionately believes that every American should have paycheck protection, and he strives to achieve that ideal every day by finding innovative ways to help insurance agents sell more disability insurance.
In 1997, Dan ... More